EDITORIALS: They’re lying to you again!

Ontario Power Generation seeks to have the Pickering Power Plant license renewed in 2018. So it is resorting to lying to convince the public of the merits of this renewal. Their assault on the public is in the form of very misleading TV commercials.

Give these OPG commercials serious consideration before accepting them as the truth.

Could this be the image of a typical OPG supporter…gullible, willing to lie, deliberately deceiving?

You should not be taken in by the OPG ads. They are leading you down so many paths.

Jobs will be lost According to the OPG, it is responsible for 14000 jobs. These jobs will be lost if the Pickering license is not renewed.What they do not want you to consider a. you are living in a high-risk nuclear zone; b. your house insurance will not cover any nuclear-related disaster costs; c. dismantling the Pickering plant will create more than 16,000 jobs related to that work and many will last for years;

No viable alternative to this power source To say there is no alternative to this power source is a blatantly outlandish statement. There are so many alternatives from a cross-province purchase of power to creating solar and wind energy generating sources.

Pickering power plant is clean and safe The Pickering power plant effects the Lake Ontario ecosystem, 24/7/365. Try fishing near the power plant! Safe? No disaster has occurred, but when it does…suffice to say, Fukushima, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island. Three million people, are you listening?

Here’s a little list of safety/mishaps incidents which OPG fails to mention in their TV ad: a. April 15, 1996, Pickering reactor 4 had a heavy water leak from a heat exchanger b. Dec. 10, 1994, a pipe break at Pickering reactor 2 resulted in a major loss of coolant c. Aug. 2, 1992, Pickering reactor 1 had a heavy water leak d. Sep. 25, 1990, Pickering reactor 2 experienced large power shifts in the reactor core e. Nov. 22, 1988, an operator error damaged 36 fuel bundles f. Aug. 1, 1983, Pickering reactor 2 had a loss of coolant accidentg. July 2007, OPG was heavily criticized for failing to act promptly to fix a leak in Pickering h. March 2011, there was a leak of 73,000 litres of demineralized wateri. Mar.25, 2011 Pickering Nuclear experienced a brief partial loss of power j. Mar. 2011, OPG staff discovered a failing pump seal had been leaking k. Oct. 11, 2012, the Pickering Nuclear had a spill of approximately 400 litres l. June 5, 2012, “a number condenser cleaning balls were inadvertently discharged m. Jan. 1, 2013, a fire broke out in a lube oil purification system n. Jan. 14, 2014, “approximately 200 kg of heavy water was released o. Apr. 29, 2014, “Operators at the Pickering station made the conservative decision to shut down the reactor in order to investigate the cause of instrumentation fluctuationsp. June 2014, the Pickering plant once again leaked demineralized water q. Nov. 2014 there was a leak of heavy water inside a containment building r. July 2015, staff at Pickering discovered “incorrect blocking and locking of a valve that is part of the guaranteed shutdown system.” s. Sept. an unexpected “system trip” led to the sudden shutdown of a reactor at Pickering, leaving the province scrambling to import replacement power

Thirty years without a mishap Thirty years…closer to fifty years. Yes, you read that right…50 years. Then, what are all those incidents in the list above? The equipment there is nearly 50 years old. Would you drive a car that was 50 years old? How about a car with a nuclear reactor for an engine? Well, we’re driving it in Ontario and OPG wants to renew the plates to keep it on the road longer.

OPG … be aware There are very concerned residents out there and the image on the left is not one of any of the concerned citizenry. It is that of those who are buying into your “alternative truth.”